So what is a thug? By definition, it’s a criminal. What is a criminal, someone who commits a crime. What isn’t a crime? Being a black person.

So what is a thug? It has become the Coke Zero version of the n word, used in the same degrading context that it might as well be the “t word” (sorry t word has already been taken; would you like to try t word01,t word_, word.t). A year after Seahawks cornerback shared these very sentiments, it appears no one has learned their lesson because this year the thug scope has been aimed at Sherman’s teammate Marshawn Lynch. Not for being loud, aggressive and outspoken like Sherman, he actually wants to just do his job and go home. Thug life. When thug isn’t being misappropriated to an athlete, its being used to describe an unarmed police homicide victim, the President, the author of this blog. Now what do we all have in common? *cue Jeopardy music*

So what is a thug? It’s the Coke Zero version of n*gger. It’s n*gger but don’t take my job, it’s n*gger but don’t call me a racist, it’s I need to feel okay with unarmed teens dying, it’s I need to still feel superior to a black millionaire, it’s why can you people say the other word and I can’t.

So what is thug? To me, its a slur. I’ll go out on a limb and say if someone refers to a black person as such, you meant the other word. They meant to dehumanize, they meant to devalue, they meant to stir up a certain feeling of disdain. In short, words means things and I wish people especially in the media would stop insulting our intelligence by feigning ignorance to the context of what they’re saying. When they call Lynch a thug, they aren’t thinking about Bond villain henchmen or the Indian muggers of the 1800s, they are thinking “a contemptible black person”.

So what is a thug? It’s not to be taken lightly, it’s not a racist cheat code, it’s not a Super Bowl winning Running Back who won’t give a quote. In the same way society frowns upon white people saying the n word (unless you play wide receiver for the Eagles) I hope eventually words like “thug”, “ghetto”, “hood”, “inner city” become just as despised because we’re not naive and know exactly whats being implied.